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May/June 1997, p.9 Bike Shorts Judge Runs Over T.A. QBB Lawsuit
Last issue, we inserted a bike rack request form into more than 4,000 T.A. Magazines. So far, according to the DOT, only 100 have been filled out and sent in. T.A. has been rightly critical of the DOT'S extremely poor progress in getting racks in. Let's not give them any more excuses. Send in your rack request form today or call (212) 442-7179 to get more forms. C'mon folks, it will take all of three minutes to fill this thing out. This way you can directly improve conditions for bicycling.
Independent of the CityRacks program, the Grand Central Partnership and 34th Street Business Improvement District (BID) is installing the first eight of 100 bike racks. Led by BID czar Dan Biederman, the BID has also turned Pershing Square (next to Grand Central Station) into a pedestrian mall during weekday lunch hours and has put BID security on bicycles. The Biederman BIDs maintain about 450 blocks around the City and should be encouraged to quadruple the number of racks they plan to install. Please write or fax and encourage the BID to push forward with its bike rack and pedestrianization plans: Dan Biederman |
In an absurdly narrow ruling
that clearly ignores the intent of the City Charter, State Supreme Court
Justice Beatrice Shainswit ruled that the City did not need to hold a public
hearing before starting weekday closings of the Queensboro Bridge bike
lane. Shainswit rejected T.A.'s contention that the weekday 3pm to 8pm
bike/ped ban is "a substantial policy decision" involving the making
of a "rule." The judge cited the City's authority to regulate access
to the bridge by posting signs, and cited a City law which creates a blanket
prohibition against bicycle and pedestrian access on City bridges unless
"signs permit such use." Despite a strong case, T.A. lawyers were
not surprised by the judge's decision. At a brief hearing on the case, she
complained about traffic surrounding the bridge and suggested that opening
another lane to cars would be a great way of alleviating congestion. Perhaps
in this case Justice was both blind and a motorist. T.A. intends to appeal the
decision.
© 1997-2008 Transportation Alternatives
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